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BOYNTON BEACH ― Boynton Beach football has officially retired the jersey of its best player in program history.
Lamar Jackson, the two-time NFL MVP quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens, watched his No. 7 jersey retired at Boynton Beach prior to the program's spring game against Olympic Heights on Friday, May 15.
The road entering the school off of Gateway Boulevard was also renamed Lamar Jackson Way with a "7 miles per hour" speed limit. The city of Boynton Beach also proclaimed May 15 as Lamar Jackson Day.
"Shout out to you guys," Jackson told the crowd after the ceremonial recognition.
More: Palm Beach County declares 'Lamar Jackson Day' for NFL star
Dieuly Aristilde, who got one of Jackson's many shout-outs during a brief speech at the podium, was actually helping prepare Olympic Heights for the spring game. On Friday, he was on staff as an assistant coach for the Lions but over a decade ago he was catching passes from Jackson in a Tigers uniform.
Aristilde knew even back then that Jackson was a special person and player.
"The reason why I knew that he was going to be special was because the leader that he was," he said. "He always made sure it was about the team. Just to see the guy that he is today, the leader that he is, on and off the field, how humble he is, that's really who Lamar is. And I couldn't be more proud and I'm definitely not surprised by what he's doing."
One of the highlights that turned the high school football world upside down was a stop-on-a-dime touchdown run by Jackson back in 2014 against Village Academy.
When asked if the play was deserving of all the hype it received, Aristilde had an interesting answer.
"Honestly, it wasn't," Aristilde said. "That was honestly one of the least impressive things that I've seen Lamar do. Like, it was just cool. Everybody, his teammates were almost so happy that he scored a touchdown. But the stop is something that we've seen 1000 times in practice before."
Fans of Jackson arrived in numbers, with some sporting Baltimore Ravens jerseys, and a few even sporting football helmets and other memorabilia with hopes of a signature from the NFL star.
Jay Johnson, who has been a Ravens fan his entire life, grew up in Baltimore before moving to West Palm Beach, and he's been following Jackson's exploits throughout his career.
"I've never seen nobody like Lamar Jackson," Johnson said. "I saw him in a couple games in high school and in the NFL. Nothing changed. He's still doing what he does."
Ultimately, he showed up at the Boynton Beach spring ceremony to support his favorite quarterback.
"He's Baltimore," he said. "It was Ray Lewis. Now, it's Lamar Jackson."
Alex Peterman is a high school sports reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Lamar Jackson's jersey retired in ceremony at Boynton Beach High
Continue reading...
Lamar Jackson, the two-time NFL MVP quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens, watched his No. 7 jersey retired at Boynton Beach prior to the program's spring game against Olympic Heights on Friday, May 15.
The road entering the school off of Gateway Boulevard was also renamed Lamar Jackson Way with a "7 miles per hour" speed limit. The city of Boynton Beach also proclaimed May 15 as Lamar Jackson Day.
"Shout out to you guys," Jackson told the crowd after the ceremonial recognition.
More: Palm Beach County declares 'Lamar Jackson Day' for NFL star
Dieuly Aristilde, who got one of Jackson's many shout-outs during a brief speech at the podium, was actually helping prepare Olympic Heights for the spring game. On Friday, he was on staff as an assistant coach for the Lions but over a decade ago he was catching passes from Jackson in a Tigers uniform.
Aristilde knew even back then that Jackson was a special person and player.
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"The reason why I knew that he was going to be special was because the leader that he was," he said. "He always made sure it was about the team. Just to see the guy that he is today, the leader that he is, on and off the field, how humble he is, that's really who Lamar is. And I couldn't be more proud and I'm definitely not surprised by what he's doing."
One of the highlights that turned the high school football world upside down was a stop-on-a-dime touchdown run by Jackson back in 2014 against Village Academy.
When asked if the play was deserving of all the hype it received, Aristilde had an interesting answer.
"Honestly, it wasn't," Aristilde said. "That was honestly one of the least impressive things that I've seen Lamar do. Like, it was just cool. Everybody, his teammates were almost so happy that he scored a touchdown. But the stop is something that we've seen 1000 times in practice before."
You must be registered for see images attach
Fans of Jackson arrived in numbers, with some sporting Baltimore Ravens jerseys, and a few even sporting football helmets and other memorabilia with hopes of a signature from the NFL star.
Jay Johnson, who has been a Ravens fan his entire life, grew up in Baltimore before moving to West Palm Beach, and he's been following Jackson's exploits throughout his career.
You must be registered for see images attach
"I've never seen nobody like Lamar Jackson," Johnson said. "I saw him in a couple games in high school and in the NFL. Nothing changed. He's still doing what he does."
You must be registered for see images attach
Ultimately, he showed up at the Boynton Beach spring ceremony to support his favorite quarterback.
"He's Baltimore," he said. "It was Ray Lewis. Now, it's Lamar Jackson."
Alex Peterman is a high school sports reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Lamar Jackson's jersey retired in ceremony at Boynton Beach High
Continue reading...
